


Your Wizard Is Here

by PhantomEngineer



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Gen, Muggle Culture, Muggle Technology, Muggles
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-01-03
Updated: 2018-03-06
Packaged: 2019-02-27 18:18:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,090
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13253925
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PhantomEngineer/pseuds/PhantomEngineer
Summary: After retiring from the Ministry of Magic, Arthur Weasley becomes a driver for Uber. It gives him an opportunity to meet muggles and explore their ever developing technology.No plot, just a collection of snapshots.





	1. Mark

**Author's Note:**

> Idea and title provided by @snuffles-groovy-doghouse from tumblr. I have never used Uber, so there may be some inaccuracies.

Mark leapt into the car the moment it arrived, barely paying any attention to the details except the vital fact that it was his Uber ride. He sank down into the carseat with a miserable sigh. The driver glanced at him with slight surprise, but pulled out into the street on the way to their destination regardless.

“I don’t suppose there’s any chance we’ll get there in time for two?” Mark asked, his eyes on the clock. He knew it was impossible, but still a part of him hoped desperately that somehow it would be possible.

“Hmmm…” the driver muttered, glancing at the map on the satnav display thoughtfully, “What do you need to be there by two for?”

“I have a job interview,” Mark confessed, fidgeting as if his movement could make the car go faster or time go slower, “My absolute dream job and I’m going to be late,”

“Hmmm…” the driver murmured again, shifting slightly in his seat to reach for something just outside of Mark’s field of view, “Bit tricky but I’ll see what I can do. I do know a few short cuts…”

“Really?” Mark said, his hopes suddenly resurrected as he struggled to remain realistic. Even with a few shortcuts he knew that there was no way he would make it on time, though he was at the point of being willing to sell his soul to the Devil if it would shave off a few seconds.

The car drove on, with Mark checking his appearance as best he could using his phone camera, straightening his tie and hoping all the while. Google Maps had claimed that it would take longer than he had available to make it to his interview, even with Uber as the fastest option. He still had faint hopes that he would stand a chance even if he was a bit late. Worry playing at his mind, he kept checking the location and estimated times on his phone. Sometimes it had difficultly locating them, frustrating his frazzled nerves more, their spot on the map jumping around wildly. He hated it when it did that, certain locations just being unbearably erratic. The estimated time until their arrival did seem to be decreasing dramatically though, so that at least made him feel better.

“Bad day?” the driver asked as he carefully navigated his way through the streets, clearly knowing exactly where he was going.

“Awful,” Mark said vehemently, “I’ve been working towards this job all my life and finally got an interview, but today just everything’s been going wrong. You’d think I were cursed or something, it’s been that bad. Alarm didn’t go off, overslept, hot water didn’t come on so I showered in the cold, spilt coffee on my shirt so I had to buy a new one, the whole works. You name it it went wrong,”

“Oh no,” the driver said, sympathy emanating from him in abundance, “Oh that does sound rather like a curse… But you’ll be alright now, I’ll get you there in time,”

Mark sighed, hopeful and reassured by the kind words.

“I’m Arthur Weasley, by the way,” the driver continued, taking a turn that Mark hadn’t realised was physically possible for a car.

“Nice to meet you,” Mark said, “I’m Mark, the unluckiest man alive,”

“We’ll break the curse,” Arthur reassured him, a confidence in his tone that surprised Mark. It was almost like he knew for certain that no matter the distance or traffic issues they would arrive on time for his job interview. It sounded almost as if he believed Mark actually was cursed, even though Mark knew there was no such thing as magic or curses.

“Thanks,” Mark replied with a shrug. Despite all logic suggesting otherwise, they did seem to be drawing close to their destination, the buildings changing to look like the photographs he had spent hours studying the night before in tense anticipation. 

The car drew to a halt as Mark looked at his watch. He had only a matter of minutes to spare, but somehow he had arrived in time. It was as if Arthur was a wizard, somehow able to work magic to defy reality and somehow make the journey with a few precious minutes to spare. It was close, far closer than he would have liked, but it was far far better than he had dared to hope for.

“Made it,” Arthur said with satisfaction, turning to smile at Mark, “Good luck with the interview!”

“Thank you!” Mark cried, the shock at the sudden turn of luck nearly bringing him to tears, “Thank you so much!”

“Let me know if you get it!” Arthur said, his face full of encouragement as Mark exited the car, already running through all the possible questions the interviewers could ask him.

As Mark headed into the building rising before him, Arthur surreptitiously slipped his wand back into his pocket and withdrew his phone to check for any new messages, wondering if any new customers were in need of his service.

Weeks later, when the results came back, Mark hesitated slightly before messaging Arthur. He had never before messaged any of his Uber drivers about anything, but without Arthur he wouldn’t have made it in time for the interview. The old man had been kind and supportive too, so he typed out a quick message.

‘I got the job! Thank you!’ he sent, not really expecting a reply.

Moments later he got a text saying ‘Great! You’re going to be fantastic!’ followed by a photograph. Arthur had taken a selfie, not the most flattering one possible and slightly blurred, but full of emotion. He had a big grin on his face and was giving Mark an enthusiastic thumbs up.

Mark laughed, glad that he’d been lucky enough to get Arthur as his driver and glad that he’d decided to message him with the news.

‘If I ever need a ride against the clock I know who to ask now’ he typed out, happy with the way his life had turned around so completely from the disastrous morning before getting into Arthur’s car.

He smiled as he read Arthur’s response of ’Anytime :)’ and went about his day with a lightness to his step.


	2. Chapter 2

Anne waited, her phone in her hand. She was slightly nervous, as she always was when she did something new, but she’d been reassured by her best friend that Uber was far too convenient for her not to use it. It did seem to be cheaper than a taxi and the route she was taking would be a nightmare by public transport. She’d done it before, but she was too tired to do so after a plane ride, especially lugging heavy suitcases.

The car that drew up beside her was relatively normal, though she noted with vague disinterest that it was a hybrid, but it was in no way a flashy model. A simple, red car with an oldish man in the driver’s seat. He was, she presumed, unusually old for an Uber driver, just as she sort of imagined that hybrids weren’t the most usual car for Uber drivers to use. But she would also be the first to admit that as a first time user she had no idea what was normal. The negative voice inside her head was certain that the man in front of her was a serial killer who would either rape and murder her or murder her and rape her corpse. The voice was a little uncertain on the order, but the details were pretty much set in stone. 

“Hello,” he said cheerfully, giving her a broad smile, “I’m Arthur Weasley, I think I’m your Uber driver,”

His hair was a greying ginger, the red steadfastly battling the silver though eventually they would lose as was always the case. His face was lined, but the lines seemed to be laughter lines more than anything else, and there was something about his smile that Anne found to be reassuring despite her pessimism. 

“Yes,” she said with a nervous smile, “But I’ve got quite a lot of luggage, I did say when I booked. I don’t know if it’ll fit in your boot…”

He hopped out of the car, taking in her multiple large suitcases and accompanying bags with a thoughtful look. He gave his car a glance, before saying “Oh, it’s bigger than it looks. It surprises people every now and then. A few of my regular have nicknamed my car the TARDIS, because they swear it’s bigger on the inside than the out,”

He laughed good-naturedly, gesturing her away as he opened the boot and begun the task of fitting the suitcases and bags into the small space. He hummed cheerfully, a modern pop tune that Anne couldn’t quite put a name to, and she was surprised to realise that the suitcases all seemed to be disappearing into the boot. She blinked in momentary confusion, before concluding that he must be very familiar with his car and presumably used to packing bags in tightly. It was definitely better than having to brave the app again and summon a different car with a bigger boot.

Slipping into the car, she wondered if it would be a long drive of awkward silence. She didn’t really care all that much. 

“There’s no rush,” she said with a sigh as they drove off, the roads becoming the winding ones of her childhood. She caught a glimpse of his face in the mirror and winced. His expression was kindly, he had undoubtedly picked up on the fact that she was reluctant to reach her destination.

“There’s a lovely ice cream place just down the road,” Arthur commented casually, “It’d be my treat, if you need something good about the area and a bit of a delay…”

Anne would have said no ordinarily, unwilling to have a stranger go out of his way because she was upset, but in some ways it just showed how deeply despondent she was feeling. Ice cream did sound far better than a potentially still locked and unwelcoming home, and there was very little about the region that appealed to her.

As they sat in what was an extremely nice little cafe overlooking the coast eating some of the best ice cream Anne had ever had in her life, she found herself pouring her heart out to him, how she had married Jens and moved to Sweden to be with him, away from her awful mother. How Jens had cheated on her again and again. How she had given up, filed for divorce and decided to move back home. How her mother had simply said, “I told you so,” before starting on all of Anne’s faults, how she was too fat, too stupid, too needy, why she could never keep a man and would end up dying alone.

Arthur listened to her tale with considerably more sympathy than her mother had, giving her a clean handkerchief to sob into and patting her on the back as he murmured vague comforts. There was nothing he could really do, but somehow having someone listen sympathetically for once made a difference to her. It was almost as if he viewed her as an actual person, something precious few people in her life had ever done. Gentle words and actions that suggested that she was something worth caring for, kindly but never pitying. 

The rest of their journey was quiet, but of a comfortable variety. Anne looked out the window, for the first time in her life actually enjoying the scenery that surrounded the area her mother lived, appreciating the beauty rather than its association with always being a disappointment. She was disappointed when the car finally drew up at a house that was familiar to her, which she was reluctant to return to but had no other choice at present. Arthur removed her bags from the boot, as she took a deep breath, steeling herself.

“Any time you need a drive, you’ve got my number now,” he said with a kind smile, which she appreciated, “And I’ve got a whole army of sons who could help you when you need to move out to your own little place, once you’re ready for that,”

For a moment she almost objected, having no plans for her future at all, but then she smiled and nodded. She wouldn’t be back living with her mother for long, it was just a temporary set back. She would find something better in no time.


End file.
